I haven’t been to a grocery store in over a week and I’m glad to have missed out on the recent onslaught of anxious people that are on a quest to  hoard sanitary items and toilet rolls.  Today’s trip to the store was juvenile but necessary.  Beer and snacks.

My good friend from Miami…Miami, Manitoba, Canada, mind you, wants to know what sort of beer I got when I went on my beer run today.  Well, Graham, for your pleasure, I offer you two beers!  Both are originally products of Pennsylvania, which is where I was born.

Rolling Rock est. 1939, Latrobe Pennsylvania.  Brewed in Latrobe, PA, until purchased by Anheuser–Busch in 2006.  Now it’s brewed wherever Anheuser–Busch wants to brew it, which might be in any of the 13 cities in the U.S., where Anheuser-Bush brews.  There is a much storied myth and history behind the “33” and the pony that is displayed on the bottles.  I’m all for a good mystery, but I prefer to drink the beer, rather than dwell on the myth.

Yuengling est. 1829,  Pottsville, PA.  Yuengling claims to be the oldest brewery in the U.S.  It’s near Wilkes-Barre PA, in the heart of the Pennsylvania coal mining region.  The name Yuengling is an Anglicized version of Jüngling.  David Gottlieb Jüngling was the entrepreneur that started the brewery and I give him a wink and a nod, each time I enjoy one of his beers.

Since I bought two types of beer, I had to make a choice of which I would drink first.  Rolling Rock won, easily.  Rolling Rock has a “clean” taste.  It finishes like it starts, clean and crisp.  I used to refer to Rolling Rock as a poor man’s Heineken.  It’s a straightforward pale ale that fits any occasion, even self-quarantining, I suppose. 

I will finish with the Yuengling.  Yuengling lager is probably the better beer, when compared to Rolling Rock, because of its distinct sweetness and balanced hops flavor.  Yuengling’s mystery is in the unique flavor of the beer, where Rolling Rock’s mystery is the number 33 and a pony.  Taste wins, in my book.

Either one is fine with me, really.  It’s just nice to be able to sit down and enjoy a beer once in a while.

Celebrate when you can and where you can.  Cheers!